About

Over the last 40 years, S. Robert Williams has distinguished himself as a preeminent trial attorney. Throughout his career, Bob has built his practice solely through referrals from other lawyers and former clients. Other than this website, he has never advertised. Bob’s philosophy has always been to put his clients’ interests first. He has consistently demonstrated a willingness to fight for his clients no matter how long or how much money it takes.

Bob started his career in New York City with the plaintiff’s firm of Smiley, Schwartz & Captain. He was then hired by the New York City Corporation Counsels Office. While there, Bob was a senior trial attorney in the Torts Division, a job that required him to defend personal injury cases brought against the city. During his tenure, Bob defended, at trial, the Police Department, the Board of Education, the Highway Department, Emergency Medical Services and other agencies. After working for the city for four years, he left the New York City area and returned to his hometown of Syracuse, where he worked as an associate for Sugarman, Wallace, Manheim & Schoenwald. While at the Sugarman firm, he defended all the major insurance companies. In 1990, he founded the firm of Williams & Fleckenstein. Operating an office located in Syracuse’s poorest neighborhood, Bob represented the underprivileged in personal injury cases. In 2005, Michelle Rudderow joined Bob as an associate, and they formed a partnership in 2008. From 2008 to 2020, the Williams & Rudderow Law Firm was recognized as one of the finest litigation firms in Central and Upstate New York. Williams & Rudderow was built with one concept – reputation in the legal community.  

Bob graduated from Lehigh University in 1976 and from the Syracuse University College of Law in 1979, where he was recognized as one of the finest mock trial advocates in the country. He was named to The Order of Barristers. He is admitted to The New York State Bar and Federal Court for the Northern District of New York.

Bob is a member of The American Board of Trial Advocates, an organization that requires an extensive number of jury verdicts for admission. Because of the results he has achieved, he is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Bob has been a member of The New York State Trial Lawyer’s Association, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and Who’s Who in American Law. He has lectured on trial tactics to the New York State Bar Association and the Syracuse College of Law.

​

Bob is an old-fashioned trial lawyer and proud of it.

​

Bob is an author who has been published in two leading aviation magazines: AOPA Pilot, November 2021, “The Hill”; and Plane and Pilot, August 2022, “Dark Solo”. He has also had two newspaper op-eds published. He has written a flying memoir, Scud Runner, and is currently writing an exposé on the legal profession, Bringing Down the Hammer.  

​

Bob has been flying since 1985. He is a commercially rated pilot with glider, seaplane and multi-engine ratings. He is qualified as a co-pilot in a Douglas DC-3.  He is the owner of a 1940 Stearman biplane that was used to train World War II  pilots. He also owns a 1951 L-19 Bird Dog that was used as an observation plane in Korea and Vietnam.

​

Bob was the captain of the Lehigh University track team in 1976 and was on a school record relay team.  He had tryouts with the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills. From 1988 to 1994, he was a volunteer football coach for Syracuse University, where he coached four All Big East Conference punters. He has been a state and nationally ranked downhill skier.